Keezer Build Sealant Question:

I am building a Keezer out of a new chest freezer, however, I am cutting it down to the wire. I'm hoping to have it done by December 14th (today being the 3rd.) The catch is, due to issues with Sears, I'm not going to physically have the freezer until the 14th, so we took measurements, and are going to fully construct the collar off of them. My question is, would I need to be worried about the sealer if I am literally going to be plugging in and cooling about 40 minutes after applying, or do you think it is too soon? Of course if I could let it sit overnight, I would... But I guess this is one of those times you got to play the hand your dealt.

They make various fast set caulking down to a one hour "shower ready", but most big box store seem to only carry 3 hour (still pretty good considering it used to be 24 hours or bust)

You might check to see if an actual plumbing supply house in your area can come up with something faster. Be sure to get everything into a warm place as soon as possible since if you read the fine print these times are often in 78 to 80 degree ambient temps.

RobMelton83 said:

I am building a Keezer out of a new chest freezer, however, I am cutting it down to the wire. I'm hoping to have it done by December 14th (today being the 3rd.) The catch is, due to issues with Sears, I'm not going to physically have the freezer until the 14th, so we took measurements, and are going to fully construct the collar off of them. My question is, would I need to be worried about the sealer if I am literally going to be plugging in and cooling about 40 minutes after applying, or do you think it is too soon? Of course if I could let it sit overnight, I would... But I guess this is one of those times you got to play the hand your dealt.

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By sealer do you mean what you put under the collar to seal it to the freezer body? If so I have seen some people use a silicon sealant/adhesive but I used some of the foam weather stripping for around doors. One side is sticky but the other is not but the weight of the collar plus the friction will not let it move. My collar is double hinged so it's perfect for me because I open the whole collar to lift my kegs in and out. Pick one that is not too thick and 'quishy' so it compresses to form a good seal. There's numerous options to pick from at lowes or home depot.

If your talking about some sort of sealer for the finish (as in wood stain) then it may make it take longer to dry and may make it a bit messy.

Yes Bull I am referring to the space between bottom of collar and freezer. This is a lot of great advice guys. I really appreciate it.

We have been piecing this project together for the past couple months or so and went the Craigslist route in buying an old chest freezer for $30. We got it home and the compressor runs, but the thing won't cool down. Decided to junk it and just get a new unit. This the reason why this is so last minute. (The better news is the appliance recycling is giving me 35 for the freezer so I got lucky and I made a 5$ profit!)

$5 dollar profit off a bad deal from CL? Sounds like you're running this project with the right karma to pull off a tight deadline! Getting Sears to keep there end of the deal, you'll need all the luck/karma you can get. Look forward to seeing some pictures and hearing how things went. All are similar, but everyone has there own twist that's neat to see. i.e. Love the idea of hinging both sides of the collar that Gator suggested.....

So everything worked out with the freezer except for one problem. Sears damaged the freezer on delivery so we used it for the party on Saturday, and I am going to return and exchange for a new one. Looks like I have to wait even longer to finish the build. Here's a couple of pics.

Fortunately the cord from the lid to the freezer goes into a plug. You should be able to switch freezer lids and keep the one that you now have your collar on.

Didn't seal it so I am able to revert the entire machine back to stock